Three years ago Marco Berrebi an Arab-Jewish mathematician, writer and activist orchestrated the biggest illegal photo exhibition the world had ever seen as a contribution to the Middle East peace process. He is the co-founder of Face2Face, a co-existence project that began in 2005. Marco teamed up with JR, a street photographer from Paris to create Face2Face, aimed at promoting dialogue and ultimately peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Muslims and Jews, “I had a long history of doing useless things with peace groups, so when this idea came along we had nothing to lose.”
In 2006 Marco and JR shot civilians from many cities in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. “We wanted to change the notion of limits, even if that’s by 1 cm. People have internalised the idea that they are powerless. We did it. And it’s a small thing, but people assumed it undoable.” They found Palestinians and Israelis who do the same job and posted their portraits face to face, a far cry from the polarized and stereotyped stock images projected by the media. The pictures are beautiful and the subjects were eased to the point of jollity despite JR’s intrusive weapon of choice, a 28-millimeter lens. JR and Marco went on to blow up the images, pasting them on Palestinian and Israeli walls, houses and shops. “We played on the symbolic gesture of taking pictures to where you cannot take people”. They even pasted on the separating wall, also known as the apartheid wall that lies between Israel and the West Bank. “We used the wall as a projection of the inner wall everybody has. The posters were temporary, they could be written on, painted on, ripped or peed on – we didn’t care what happened afterwards. The art was in placing them. I’d consider that a colonialist view, to put something there that’s permanent, whether people like it or not.” The irony of that last statement is resounding.
I had contacted Marco months prior to our meeting to ask advice on the best way for Oxford’s societies to promote co-existence rather than simulating the hostilities of the conflict. “I honestly feel that art is the best way to talk without quarrelling. Starting with political discussion is doomed to fail.” I met him in London for the premier of his documentary film, ‘Faces’ made from footage of the weeks he spent in the Middle East. “We got arrested a few times, and got some posters ripped down but more or less managed the task flawlessly.” The film was honest and moving, taking time to hear the stories of citizens such as a Palestinian girl who said she agreed to take part in Fac
e2Face so she could show the world her home. She proceeded to show us around Deheishe refugee camp and spoke of her passion for basketball. We also saw a Rabbi condemning an Israeli soldier who had ripped down a picture of a Palestinian boy, and a group of young boys looking at photographs JR had taken and guessing which one was the Arab, usually incorrectly. The humanity displayed in the film was poignant, especially to this theatre where Jews and Muslims were sitting, united. Faces won the prize for best documentary at the International Islamic Film Festival while simultaneously being hosted by the UK Jewish Film Festival. The complexity of co-existence makes this a huge achievement, and when I mentioned this to Marco he smiled, “as an Arab Jew I am very proud of it. It proves we don’t have to choose a single identity – that is a way of neglecting yourself, locking yourself in a drawer. It’s my best achievement to date.”
While being amazed by the good work of Face2Face, I couldn’t help but question whether in a bid to be objective it was missing an important point. I understand the ethos that once the Israeli and Palestinian people recognise that regardless of race they are all human, there will be peace. However, this assumes that both sides are equally to blame and have equal power. This is obviously not true in the case of Israel and Palestine where Israel holds far greater power and therefore responsibility, and so however hopeful the Face2Face project is, it is still far removed from any reality. After all, it is not necessarily an inner wall which must be confronted, but indeed a 40 foot high one.
My thoughts intensified when on the morning of December 27th 2008, the nation awoke, bleary-eyed to scenes of terrorism in Gaza. What place do the looming happy images of Face2Face have in a conflict which is so far from any kind of peace? The truth is, we are far from harmony in the Middle East because the aim is not for peace, but rather for territorial expansion and ethnic cleansing, and the rest of the world is blinded with a plethora of propaganda and barefaced lies used to try and convince us otherwise.
For Israel to claim that in 2005 they left Gaza unoccupied is a lie. The Gaza Strip continued to be blockaded by Israel via air, land and sea resulting in over 80% of the population surviving on insufficient UN handouts. Under International Humanitarian Law, this constitutes an occupation and furthermore, collective punishment – a war crime. Israel’s claim that the invasion is in the interests of its Israeli citizens is false. This war will create more desperation, frustration and further humanitarian crisis, a deadly cocktail brewing death and extremism. Israel is not lying when it says rockets have been fired from Gaza into Southern Israel, forcing people to live their lives in 15-second increments. These acts are utterly reprehensible. However, terrorising the Palestinian population even further, pushing them so far past what is acceptable under humanitarian law and all the while claiming that “there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza” as Tzipi Livni, Israel’s Foreign Minister had the audacity to do, is not going to stop the rockets falling. The Qassam attacks are not simply a result of needless terrorism by Hamas, but rather a resistance to the violence of the unremitting blockade imposed on the Palestinian people. Refusing to accept that is dishonest and detrimental to the security of all concerned.
Face2Face is not going to change policies, dismantle blockades, deliver aid to starving Gazans or negotiate a ceasefire. Face2Face is not going to stop the lies spewed by the Israeli government and the Western media or the massacre of innocent people. Face2Face provides a stark and moving contrast to the faces we have seen on the news and some of the faces I saw at the London protests. Faces which exude frustration, despair and fury. Are these the faces of future peace or further polarization?
Marco and JR are confident they will be back for ‘Hand in Hand’. Such optimism in the current climate could be seen as naïve and futile but I defend Face2Face and I praise the sanguinity emanated by those who made it happen. The current situation is one of unrelenting and unjust tragedy – sickeningly in the name of a future peace. This is why the message of Face2Face so important. “We met Palestinians and Israelis who were dedicating their lives to working on reconciliation. They’re the real demonstrators for a just and real peace. They’re the search-light. The beacon. The only way Face2Face materialised was through dialogue and negotiation.” Granted, that negotiation involved convincing an Israeli shop owner to allow a massive picture of a Palestinian sticking their tongue out to be pasted on his wall, but I believe in that one act, Face2Face did more to promote peace in the Middle East than Israel have done for a harrowingly long time. It is co-existence projects such as these that quietly but as relentlessly as the violence, pave the only way to a true peace.
